Information about the AMD Radeon R9 Nano has been trickling out for months. Even before it was officially shown off at a swank event adjacent to E3 earlier this summer, some pictures and preliminary details regarding the R9 Nano leaked to the web. Since its official unveiling, we’ve also revealed a plethora of information about the latest Radeon R9 300 series and the other products in AMD’s current line-up—the Radeon R9 Fury and Fury X—that are powered by the same Fiji GPU as the Radeon R9 Nano. And yet, the diminutive card still has a bit of mystique around it and the hardware community at large...Read more...

Google is responsible for a lot of things that have made our lives better. Better search, better email, and one impressive mobile operating system. But beyond its commercial success sits a research department that's doing fascinating stuff. Project Loon is helping rural areas around the globe receive Internet for the first time, and it appears that Google's fixation on health is going to extend well beyond a simple app. The company's Google X division has announced a project whereby researchers are building nanoparticles that "combine a magnetic material with antibodies or proteins that can attach...Read more...

Zotac has been making ultra-small form factor systems for quite a while now. You can check out a number of our reviews of various ZBox systems and you’ll notice that most of the systems have been built around low-power platforms like AMD’s E-Series APUs or Intel’s Atom processors. With its latest generations of mini-PC’s, however, Zotac has been able to crank things up a few notches. With some recently released ZBoxes, Zotac has managed to squeeze in Intel Core-series processors, which put the diminutive systems into an entirely different performance category. The latest...Read more...

Zotac has been making ultra-small form factor systems for quite a while now. You can check out a number of our reviews of various ZBox systems right here. If you read those previous reviews, you’ll notice that most of the systems have been built around low-power platforms like AMD’s E-Series APUs or Intel’s Atom processors. With its latest generations of mini-PC’s, however, Zotac has been able to crank things up a few notches. With some recently released ZBoxes, Zotac has managed to squeeze in Intel Core-series processors, which put the diminutive systems into an entirely...Read more...

It looks like a relative breakthrough has been made where materials sciences and nanotechnology are concerned. Scientist Liangbing Hu, stationed at the University of Maryland, turned to one of the most simple materials in order to built a transistor: paper. You might not think of paper as being a good base for anything but writing or packing your stuff for a move, but when treated properly, it can become as thin and clear as glass and plastic. Like regular paper, nanopaper, despite its ultra-thin likeness, can be handled like you'd expect - it can be cut, folded and made into a paper airplane (that...Read more...

Over the last couple of years, Zotac has introduced a number of ultra small ZBOX systems that have seemingly gotten smaller and smaller with each new generation. The latest model we’ll be showing you here today, however, is the smallest yet. The new Zotac ZBOX Nano XS AD11 Plus is an AMD E-series APU based small form factor / HTPC system that fits in the palm of your hand—literally. Despite offering a dual-core processor, integrated DirectX 11 class graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 64GB solid state drive, USB 3.0, a flash card reader, and various other connections, the ZBOX Nano XS AD11 Plus...Read more...

In addition to building graphics cards, Zotac is one of only a handful companies to fully embrace small form factor and home theater systems. Whether you want to build something yourself from the ground up, quickly assemble a barebones rig, or pick up a fully built HTPC, Zotac has you covered. The company offers a wide array of mini-ITX motherboards based on many modern chipsets (including the just released Z77) and barebones ZBOX systems for the DIY Crowd, along with full SFF systems that need nothing but an OS. Over the last couple of years, Zotac has introduced a number of ultra small ZBOX...Read more...

Classify yourself as a "Digital Home Media Enthusiast?" If so, VIA has a motherboard they'd love for you to peek. The company has just released the VE-900 Mini-ITX mainboard, immediately available worldwide for those in need of a small, power-efficient new HTPC rig. It features a 1.4GHz Nano X2 dual-core CPU, VIA's VX900 all-in-one media system processor, support for resolutions as high as 1080p and support for 24-bit audio and up to 192kHz sample rates. There's also HDMI support, and it can handle up to 8GB of DDR3 memory. Sadly, pricing isn't being disclosed, but it ought to be coursing through...Read more...

Zotac is one of a select few companies that have fully embraced the ultra-small form factor and home theater PC markets. Although they’re also known for producing custom, high-end graphics cards, and an array of motherboards, which include a smorgasbord or mini-ITX options, Zotac’s Zbox and Mag lines of mini PCs are quite diverse. A quick jaunt to their website reveals over 30 ultra small form factor designs that leverage technology from Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, and even VIA. What’s also interesting about Zotac’s mini-PCs are their extensive feature sets. Zotac seemingly crams...Read more...

Zotac is one of a select few companies that have fully embraced the ultra-small form factor and home theater PC markets. Although they’re also known for producing custom, high-end graphics cards, and an array of motherboards, which include a smorgasbord or mini-ITX options, Zotac’s Zbox and Mag lines of mini PCs are quite diverse. A quick jaunt to their website reveals over 30 ultra small form factor designs that leverage technology from Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, and even VIA. What’s also interesting about Zotac’s mini-PCs are their extensive feature sets. Zotac seemingly crams...Read more...

Looking for a cutting-edge mouse? Verbatim's new Ergo Mouse isn't exactly bleeding-edge tech, but it certainly has the angles to fit the "cutting" descriptor. The Ergo Mouse has one of the sharpest curves of any ergonomic mouse, with a candy apple-red shell, a 2.4GHz wireless transceiver (no cord!), Mac / PC platform compatibility and a small USB nub that seems tiny enough to actually leave in the PC owners will be using it with. There's a rubberized grip to keep things steady during those long gaming sessions, and it also ships in blue and black if red's just too loud. The mouse operates on two...Read more...

VIA announced today that it's signed an agreement to sell its share in S3 Graphics to the mobile phone manufacturer HTC. S3's GPU technology (dubbed Chrome) powers VIA's various chipsets and is paired with the company's Nano processor as part of its CPU platform. Given VIA's relative sliver of market share, this might not seem like an important transaction—but it is. It's been over a decade since S3 was a major player in the graphics display industry; the company's 2D 'Trio' series of video cards were quite popular in the pre-3D era. S3 attempted to enter the 3D market, but the company's...Read more...

At its financial analyst meeting earlier this week, Intel unveiled a series of strategic changes to its roadmap and gave investors a peek at the company's general strategy for the next few years. We've already touched on the company's decision to ramp more powerful Atom processors and its new, 15W mainstream notebook TDP target, but the company is playing a deeper game. If Medfield lives up to expectations, it'll be the first Intel SoC truly capable of challenging ARM. Later this year, Intel will introduce Medfield, its 32nm Atom SoC. The current solution, Moorestown, did reduce Atom's platform-level...Read more...